Six Nations League of the Iroquois Folktales: An Annotated Bibliography Developed by Cindi Wynia
I chose the book Turtle's Race with Beaver to include in a story time I did with a turtle theme and enjoyed it and the children's response to it so much that when I began to consider stories for class I was immediately drawn to it again. I was impressed with Joseph and James Bruchac's authors' notes which led me to discover that the Seneca are part of the Six Nations League of the Iroquois that also include the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora (Erdoes, 1984).
Turtle's Race with Beaver is the story of a small but clever animal who uses her wits to win a race with beaver who is by far stronger and faster. As Joseph Bruchac (2004) points out in his author's note, this is a common motif in stories found all around the world and dating back to Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare.
I have researched and retold this story as "Turtle and Beaver" for audiences as part of my storytelling presentations at Amarillo Public Library and for the Amarillo Independent School District elementary schools.
Rabbit's Snow Dance Book jacket
Bruchac, James & Bruchac, Joseph. Rabbit's Snow Dance. Illus. by Jeff Newman. 2012. 32p. Penguin Group. $16.99. (978-0-8037-3270-4)
Rabbit wants to reach the tasty leaves on the treetops and he knows just how to do it, but should he make it snow in summertime? He is too impatient to wait so he gets his drum, begins to dance in a circle, and sings his snow song swishing his long tail behind him. The smaller forest animals are upset because they are not ready for snow. But the ones with big wide feet like lynx and otter enjoy playing in the snow and sing along. Soon the snow is so deep that even the bigger animals run for shelter, but Rabbit keeps dancing until he is too tired to continue and falls asleep on a high tree branch. He sleeps all day as the snow melts. When he finally wakes up he steps off the branch with sleepy eyes and gets quite a surprise! Rabbit falls down to the ground through branch after branch with each one pulling a piece of his long bushy tail off as he goes. Today we call those branches pussy willows. Now Rabbit knows to wait for the proper time for seasons to change and his short tail serves as a reminder to be patient.
This tale does not have an author's note to support the cultural authenticity, although the authors use the word "azikanapo" and define it as meaning "snow foot wrappers, great big flakes of snow" (p. 4). The Bruchacs have a strong reputation for keeping Native American tales true to their culture while refreshing them for new audiences, but source notes would encourage further study. The illustrations are lively watercolor, gouache, and ink cartoons that will draw readers into the story.
The Boy Who Lived with the Bears and Other Iroquois Stories Book Jacket
Bruchac, Joseph. The Boy Who Lived With the Bears and Other Iroquois Stories. Illus. by Murv Jacob. 1995. 63p. HarperCollins. $15.95 (006021287X)
The Boy Who Lived With the Bears and Other Iroquois Stories contains six stories retold by Joseph Bruchac. The story I found most interesting was "Rabbit's Snow Dance" because I had just read the version published in 2012. As compared to the picture book version which features many forest animals, this telling focuses solely on rabbit. Rabbit decides to make it snow because he enjoys playing in it, but he gets carried away and causes it to snow so much that he gets stuck in a tree. When he wakes up and sees that the snow has melted, he falls in an attempt to get down resulting in the loss of his long tail, a split lip, and short front feet. Other stories included are "Rabbit and Fox", "The Boy Who Lived With the Bears", "How the Birds Got Their Feathers", "Turtle Makes War on Man". and "Chipmunk and Bear". The illustrations by Native American artist Murv Jacob are beautiful and a treat for the reader to study.
The introduction gives a wonderful look at the origins of Bruchac's storytelling career. He is of Abenaki ancestry and proudly continues to maintain the storytelling tradition of the Iroquois Nation. He offers a look at the oral tradition of the past and briefly discusses the responsibility he feels to respect the culture that his stories reflect. The Iroquois maintain a proud link to their past while moving into the future and sharing their stories is an important part of that process.
Turtle's Race with Beaver: A Traditional Seneca Story Book Jacket
Bruchac, Joseph & Bruchac, James. Turtle's Race with Beaver: A Traditional Seneca Story.Illus. by Ariane Dewey & Jose Aruego. 2004. 32p. Puffin Books. $15.99. (0803728522)
Turtle lives happily in her pond until one Spring day when she emerges from her hibernation deep in the mud to discover that Beaver has built a dam and a lodge and decided her lovely pond now belongs to him. Beaver refuses to share the pond, challenging Turtle to a race to determine who will continue to call the pond home. The next morning all the forest animals are lined up along the shore, the large animals cheering for Beaver while the smaller ones cheer for Turtle. With a "ready, set, go!" the race begins with clever Turtle snapping onto Beaver's tail just as he jumps into the water. Beaver swims as fast as he can, but Turtle is always close behind. Soon the shore comes into sight and Turtle bites down as hard as she can causing Beaver to flip his tail over his head with a screech. Turtle flies the short distance to the shore and walks across the finish line first much to Beaver's dismay. As the winner, Turtle gets to call the pond home and she invites Beaver to stay, but he hurries off in embarrassment. Soon he finds another pond and this time asks if he can join the turtle living there and they are happy together for many years.
Turtle's Race with Beaver includes an author's note explaining that Joseph Bruchac has been hearing, learning and telling Iroquois stories for over forty years. He goes on to say that he has heard this tale told by Seneca, Onondaga, Mohawk, Abenakis, Lenapes, and Penobscot storytellers. His many years of study attest to his solid reputation as an author who cares deeply about representing the stories in a culturally authentic way. The cheerful pen and ink, gouache, and pastel illustrations are wonderfully expressive.
American Indian Myths and Legends Book Jacket
Erdoes, Richard & Ortiz, Alfonso. American Indian Myths and Legends. 1984. 544p. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. $21.00 (0-394-74018-1)
This collection includes 166 stories from tribes across the nation. Source notes are included for many of the tales as well as additional information about the tribes. Erdoes was a respected author and became active in the Indian Civil Rights Movement after seeing the substandard living conditions on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Ortiz was a professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico, holder of a MacArthur Fellowship, and was president of the Association on American Indian Affairs.
I focused on four stories in the collection, one attributed to Seneca and three to Iroquois, although Iroquois is not a single tribe, but the term used to encompass all the tribes in the Six Nations, so the actual origin of the three stories is ambiguous. The four stories were "The Powerful Boy" a Seneca creation myth, "Hiawatha the Unifier" and "The Flying Head" two Iroquois hero tales, and "Why the Owl Has Big Eyes" an Iroquois trickster tale. My favorite of the four was "Hiawatha the Unifier" because it is believed to be based on the shaman who lived in the 1570's who eventually unified the tribes into the Five Nations that later became six when the Tuscarora joined in 1715.
Dee Brown, American novelist and historian, author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and Peter Matthiessen, naturalist and wilderness author who wrote the controversial account of Leonard Peltier's case, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, both praised the book when it was published. However, Dell Hymes, an anthropologist with thirty years of research into Indian languages and traditions was less enthusiastic when he wrote a review for The Nation in 1985. He lamented the lack of full source notes for each tale and commented that the origin of some tales were inaccurately stated. he suggested that it is entertaining for the casual reader, but not necessarily of interest to anyone with a more scholarly leaning.
Brother Wolf A Seneca Tale Book Jacket
Taylor, Harriet Peck. Brother Wolf: A Seneca Tale. 1996. 32p. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. $19.95. (9780374309978)
Wolf and Raccoon are friends who like to tease each other, but when teasing becomes insults, Raccoon may have gone too far. As harsh words are exchanged late into the night, Wolf falls asleep allowing Raccoon to pull a prank on his unsuspecting friend. Raccoon covers Wolf's eyes with red clay and sticky tar so that at sunrise Wolf cannot see anything. His sad wail brings his friends the birds coming to his aid. They peck away the hardened mess and Wolf promises to do the birds a favor in return, as soon as he deals with Raccoon. Finding Raccoon asleep in a hollow tree trunk, he asks Bear and Moose to help him roll it down the hill as a lesson to Raccoon. All the animals in the meadow have a good laugh at Wolf and Raccoon's antics. The birds then ask Wolf to paint them in the vibrant colors of the meadow flowers as thanks for helping him. So he mixes dyes from the clay, berries, earth, and plants to paint the birds lovely colors. Raccoon is so impressed by their beauty as they fly into the sky, that he demands Wolf paint him, too. When Wolf paints black rings on Raccoon's tail, Raccoon is so happy he promises to stop teasing Wolf and dances across the meadow with joy.
Peck shares her knowledge of the Six Nations League of the Iroquois noting that the Seneca have been called "children of the forest" because they have lived in the woodlands of New York state for generations. Many Seneca stories tell about the qualities the people admired in their animal neighbors while teaching lessons or explaining the natural world. Peck's batik illustrations are a vibrant addition to the tale.
Additional Support for Studying the Six Nations League of the Iroquois Culture
Bruchac, Joseph. Children of the Longhouse. 1998. 160p. Puffin reprint, $5.39 (0140385045) Although a work of fiction this book would invite children in grades 3-6 into the world of Mohawk children as told by Bruchac who has a solid reputation for writing accurate portrayals of Iroquois people. Librarians could use excerpts from the book to acquaint students with the culture as part of a storytelling presentation.
Book Review Sources:
TWU Databases: EBSCO Academic Search Complete
References
Bateman, Teresa, and Phyllis Levy Mandell. 1991. "The Boy Who Lived With Bears and Other Iroquois Stories (Book Review)." School Library Journal 37(10): 80.
Bruchac, Joseph. 2003. Turtle's Race with Beaver. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
Bush, Margaret A. 1995. "The Boy Who Lived With The Bears and Other Iroquois Stories (Book Review)." Horn Book Magazine 71 (6): 750-751.
Erdoes, Richard, and Alfonso Ortiz. 1984. American Indian Myths and Legends. New York: Pantheon Books.
Six Nations League of the Iroquois Folktales: Primary Focus-Seneca
Copyright-free photo from
the Morguefile.com
Developed by Cindi Wynia
I chose the book Turtle's Race with Beaver to include in a story time I did with a turtle theme and enjoyed it and the children's response to it so much that when I began to consider stories for class I was immediately drawn to it again. I was impressed with Joseph and James Bruchac's authors' notes which led me to discover that the Seneca are part of the Six Nations League of the Iroquois that also include the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora (Erdoes, 1984).
Turtle's Race with Beaver is the story of a small but clever animal who uses her wits to win a race with beaver who is by far stronger and faster. As Joseph Bruchac (2004) points out in his author's note, this is a common motif in stories found all around the world and dating back to Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare.
I have researched and retold this story as "Turtle and Beaver" for audiences as part of my storytelling presentations at Amarillo Public Library and for the Amarillo Independent School District elementary schools.
Rabbit's Snow Dance
Book jacket
Rabbit wants to reach the tasty leaves on the treetops and he knows just how to do it, but should he make it snow in summertime? He is too impatient to wait so he gets his drum, begins to dance in a circle, and sings his snow song swishing his long tail behind him. The smaller forest animals are upset because they are not ready for snow. But the ones with big wide feet like lynx and otter enjoy playing in the snow and sing along. Soon the snow is so deep that even the bigger animals run for shelter, but Rabbit keeps dancing until he is too tired to continue and falls asleep on a high tree branch. He sleeps all day as the snow melts. When he finally wakes up he steps off the branch with sleepy eyes and gets quite a surprise! Rabbit falls down to the ground through branch after branch with each one pulling a piece of his long bushy tail off as he goes. Today we call those branches pussy willows. Now Rabbit knows to wait for the proper time for seasons to change and his short tail serves as a reminder to be patient.
This tale does not have an author's note to support the cultural authenticity, although the authors use the word "azikanapo" and define it as meaning "snow foot wrappers, great big flakes of snow" (p. 4). The Bruchacs have a strong reputation for keeping Native American tales true to their culture while refreshing them for new audiences, but source notes would encourage further study. The illustrations are lively watercolor, gouache, and ink cartoons that will draw readers into the story.
The Boy Who Lived with the Bears
and Other Iroquois Stories
Book Jacket
The Boy Who Lived With the Bears and Other Iroquois Stories contains six stories retold by Joseph Bruchac. The story I found most interesting was "Rabbit's Snow Dance" because I had just read the version published in 2012. As compared to the picture book version which features many forest animals, this telling focuses solely on rabbit. Rabbit decides to make it snow because he enjoys playing in it, but he gets carried away and causes it to snow so much that he gets stuck in a tree. When he wakes up and sees that the snow has melted, he falls in an attempt to get down resulting in the loss of his long tail, a split lip, and short front feet. Other stories included are "Rabbit and Fox", "The Boy Who Lived With the Bears", "How the Birds Got Their Feathers", "Turtle Makes War on Man". and "Chipmunk and Bear". The illustrations by Native American artist Murv Jacob are beautiful and a treat for the reader to study.
The introduction gives a wonderful look at the origins of Bruchac's storytelling career. He is of Abenaki ancestry and proudly continues to maintain the storytelling tradition of the Iroquois Nation. He offers a look at the oral tradition of the past and briefly discusses the responsibility he feels to respect the culture that his stories reflect. The Iroquois maintain a proud link to their past while moving into the future and sharing their stories is an important part of that process.
Turtle's Race with Beaver:
A Traditional Seneca Story
Book Jacket
Turtle lives happily in her pond until one Spring day when she emerges from her hibernation deep in the mud to discover that Beaver has built a dam and a lodge and decided her lovely pond now belongs to him. Beaver refuses to share the pond, challenging Turtle to a race to determine who will continue to call the pond home. The next morning all the forest animals are lined up along the shore, the large animals cheering for Beaver while the smaller ones cheer for Turtle. With a "ready, set, go!" the race begins with clever Turtle snapping onto Beaver's tail just as he jumps into the water. Beaver swims as fast as he can, but Turtle is always close behind. Soon the shore comes into sight and Turtle bites down as hard as she can causing Beaver to flip his tail over his head with a screech. Turtle flies the short distance to the shore and walks across the finish line first much to Beaver's dismay. As the winner, Turtle gets to call the pond home and she invites Beaver to stay, but he hurries off in embarrassment. Soon he finds another pond and this time asks if he can join the turtle living there and they are happy together for many years.
Turtle's Race with Beaver includes an author's note explaining that Joseph Bruchac has been hearing, learning and telling Iroquois stories for over forty years. He goes on to say that he has heard this tale told by Seneca, Onondaga, Mohawk, Abenakis, Lenapes, and Penobscot storytellers. His many years of study attest to his solid reputation as an author who cares deeply about representing the stories in a culturally authentic way. The cheerful pen and ink, gouache, and pastel illustrations are wonderfully expressive.
American Indian Myths and Legends
Book Jacket
This collection includes 166 stories from tribes across the nation. Source notes are included for many of the tales as well as additional information about the tribes. Erdoes was a respected author and became active in the Indian Civil Rights Movement after seeing the substandard living conditions on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Ortiz was a professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico, holder of a MacArthur Fellowship, and was president of the Association on American Indian Affairs.
I focused on four stories in the collection, one attributed to Seneca and three to Iroquois, although Iroquois is not a single tribe, but the term used to encompass all the tribes in the Six Nations, so the actual origin of the three stories is ambiguous. The four stories were "The Powerful Boy" a Seneca creation myth, "Hiawatha the Unifier" and "The Flying Head" two Iroquois hero tales, and "Why the Owl Has Big Eyes" an Iroquois trickster tale. My favorite of the four was "Hiawatha the Unifier" because it is believed to be based on the shaman who lived in the 1570's who eventually unified the tribes into the Five Nations that later became six when the Tuscarora joined in 1715.
Dee Brown, American novelist and historian, author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and Peter Matthiessen, naturalist and wilderness author who wrote the controversial account of Leonard Peltier's case, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, both praised the book when it was published. However, Dell Hymes, an anthropologist with thirty years of research into Indian languages and traditions was less enthusiastic when he wrote a review for The Nation in 1985. He lamented the lack of full source notes for each tale and commented that the origin of some tales were inaccurately stated. he suggested that it is entertaining for the casual reader, but not necessarily of interest to anyone with a more scholarly leaning.
Brother Wolf
A Seneca Tale
Book Jacket
Wolf and Raccoon are friends who like to tease each other, but when teasing becomes insults, Raccoon may have gone too far. As harsh words are exchanged late into the night, Wolf falls asleep allowing Raccoon to pull a prank on his unsuspecting friend. Raccoon covers Wolf's eyes with red clay and sticky tar so that at sunrise Wolf cannot see anything. His sad wail brings his friends the birds coming to his aid. They peck away the hardened mess and Wolf promises to do the birds a favor in return, as soon as he deals with Raccoon. Finding Raccoon asleep in a hollow tree trunk, he asks Bear and Moose to help him roll it down the hill as a lesson to Raccoon. All the animals in the meadow have a good laugh at Wolf and Raccoon's antics. The birds then ask Wolf to paint them in the vibrant colors of the meadow flowers as thanks for helping him. So he mixes dyes from the clay, berries, earth, and plants to paint the birds lovely colors. Raccoon is so impressed by their beauty as they fly into the sky, that he demands Wolf paint him, too. When Wolf paints black rings on Raccoon's tail, Raccoon is so happy he promises to stop teasing Wolf and dances across the meadow with joy.
Peck shares her knowledge of the Six Nations League of the Iroquois noting that the Seneca have been called "children of the forest" because they have lived in the woodlands of New York state for generations. Many Seneca stories tell about the qualities the people admired in their animal neighbors while teaching lessons or explaining the natural world. Peck's batik illustrations are a vibrant addition to the tale.
Additional Support for Studying the Six Nations League of the Iroquois Culture
Bruchac, Joseph. Children of the Longhouse. 1998. 160p. Puffin reprint, $5.39 (0140385045)
Although a work of fiction this book would invite children in grades 3-6 into the world of Mohawk children as told by Bruchac who has a solid reputation for writing accurate portrayals of Iroquois people. Librarians could use excerpts from the book to acquaint students with the culture as part of a storytelling presentation.
Book Review Sources:
TWU Databases: EBSCO Academic Search Complete
References
Bateman, Teresa, and Phyllis Levy Mandell. 1991. "The Boy Who Lived With Bears and Other Iroquois Stories (Book Review)." School Library Journal 37(10): 80.
Bruchac, Joseph. 2003. Turtle's Race with Beaver. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
Bush, Margaret A. 1995. "The Boy Who Lived With The Bears and Other Iroquois Stories (Book Review)." Horn Book Magazine 71 (6): 750-751.
Erdoes, Richard, and Alfonso Ortiz. 1984. American Indian Myths and Legends. New York: Pantheon Books.
Harruff, Sharon. 2013. "Rabbit's Snow Dance (Book Review)." Library Media Connection 31(5): 86.
Hymes, Dell. 1985. "American Indian Myths and Legends (Book Review)." The Nation 240 (3): 85-86.
Jones, Trevelyn E. 1985. "American Indian Myths and Legends (Book Review)." School Library Journal 31 (7): 189.
Margolis, Sally. 1996. "Brother Wolf: A Seneca Tale (Book Review)." School Library Journal 42 (10): 118.
Peters, John. 2003. "Turtle's Race with Beaver (Book Review)." Booklist 100 (2): 244.
Phelan, Carolyn. 1996. "Brother Wolf: A Seneca Tale (Book Review)." Booklist 93 (5): 505.
---. 2012 "Rabbit's Snow Dance (Book Review)." Kirkus Reviews 80 (19): 2277.
Sheron2482. 2013. "DSC02917.JPG." MorgueFile. http://mrg.bz/ul1kH2 (Accessed March 27, 2014).
---. 2003. "Turtle's Race with Beaver (Book Review)." Kirkus Reviews 71 (16): 1070.